


Life With Father

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Children, F/M, Family, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-13
Updated: 2007-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-31 09:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15117023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: Tim and Charlie were the most open, loving, smart, fun kids he had ever met.  There was absolutely no bias in his assessment of them.





	Life With Father

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Leo opened his eyes when he felt his wife’s soft lips on his. He wondered if he ever told her how much he loved to wake up that way.

“Don’t wake up; it’s early yet.”

“You're leaving?”

“Mmm hmm. I'm going to kill whoever thought wheels up at 7 a.m. was a good idea, but I think it was me.”

“You wanted to get to California with morning to spare.”

“I will. Take good care of my kids.”

“I will, and they are our kids.”

“Mmm hmm. They are really excited about quality time with daddy.”

“I know.”

“Oh, and don’t interfere with Mitch doing his job. He knows their schedules and idiosyncrasies better than you and probably better than me.”

“I sense a crack in there somewhere.” Leo replied.

“It’s because you are a cynic. I love you.”

“I love you more. Have a safe trip and hurry back at me. You're gonna knock ‘em dead.”

“Thanks. I’ll call when we’re on the ground.”

Another kiss, more I love yous, and CJ was gone. Leo hardly wanted to let her go…it was not just because he would be home alone with the children all weekend. This has been their vacation week. The McGarrys did their best not to work and spent quality time together. Tim and Charlie were in Manchester with Jed and Abbey; they returned on Wednesday. 

They spent together as a family, though Leo’s afternoon was punctuated by phone calls. There were active, violent student protests in Pakistan, a neverending rainstorm in Cambodia, and bloody strife on the Uzbekistan border. The son of the Danish Prime Minister had also been arrested on Wednesday evening in Miami as a serious person of interest in a string of brutal tourist rapes around the city. It was a long night for the Vice-President.

Now early Friday morning CJ was leaving for a three-day weekend in San Francisco. There was a doctor’s conference on stem cell research for Alzheimer’s Disease and CJ was the keynote speaker Saturday afternoon. She would also be attending a League of Women’s Voters fundraiser dinner Saturday night, also keynote speaking. Sunday there would be handshaking, picture taking, a few radio and television interviews, and a celebrity tennis tournament where the Second Lady would be playing doubles with Serena Williams for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation. She would be back in Washington late Monday morning.

Leo would spend his long weekend with the kids. He missed them while they were in Manchester. The year since he started campaigning for the Vice-Presidency hadn't just been tough on the McGarry marriage. The amount of time spent with Tim and Charlie was so scant, he was lucky they remembered his name. Leo thought things would settle down when they won the election but CJ lost her father, transition was busy, and Simon Bly wrote that damn book. 

The book still echoed occasionally…it spent almost ten weeks on the bestseller list. The author did the conservative and McGarry-hating rounds for almost two months on its coattails. Meanwhile, Leo was preparing for the new Administration. Christmas was low key, then there was Inauguration and jumping into the shark-infested waters of his Vice-Presidency. Matt Santos wanted an active Vice-President who earned their keep. He, of course, never wanted Leo’s power or popularity to eclipse his own and though he wanted him a few inches behind him and on the side, he still wanted him on the front line. The two had a fine working relationship and did their best to stay out of each other’s personal lives.

His personal life with CJ was up and down…some days were normal and others were bad. His time with his son and daughter was almost nil and his wife frequently reminded him of it. Leo wanted to change that this weekend. He did not fool himself into thinking this would make up for all the time he was absent, but he knew they would be happier for some of his time. He needed to catch up on the happenings in their lives. He needed to know what they liked to eat and what made them giggle.

He needed to hug them, kiss them, and tell them how important they were to his very being. Even if they didn’t understand, Leo wanted to show them. Tim and Charlie were the most open, loving, smart, fun kids he had ever met. There was absolutely no bias in his assessment of them. He refused to let the worries that he might not be up for the challenge creep into the base of his skull as he surrendered to a few more hours of sleep. If he could handle politics surely three days with a five year old and a four year old would be a piece of cake. Right?

***

Leo woke at 9:30 and after a shower and shave went downstairs to make breakfast. The house was relatively quiet, other than the Secret Service milling about. As he made an egg white and cheese sandwich on a wheat bagel, he could hear the sounds of his children playing outside. Mitch must have had them at the pool. 

He sat at the kitchen table with his breakfast, a cup of coffee, and the New York Times. He skipped over the news items and went straight for the crossword puzzle. He was on vacation…he would have time to do the whole thing. Maybe it would be more fun to do it outside. Leo was, after all, supposed to be spending time with his children.

They were frolicking in the pool when he walked up. Charlie was dressed in a pink bathing suit. She wore floaters on her arms and little flippers on her feet. Tim had on red trunks and a pair of goggles. There was an inner tube floating around and a small beach ball. Mitch sat on the side of the pool watching closely.

“Hey guys!”

“Hi daddy!”

“Hi Mitch.”

“Hey Leo.”

He relaxed in the lawn chair and hoped the strong rays of the sun did not reflect from his glasses and set his paper on fire.

“Are you wearing sun block?” the nanny asked.

“Huh?”

“SPF. I have some 45 here; I use it for the kids and myself too. You better put some on.”

“I think I’ll be OK.”

“Seriously Leo, one hour out here and you'll be burnt. Pay special attention to the nape of your neck and the backs of your knees. If you get sunburn CJ is going to kill me.”

Smiling, the Vice-President took it and put it on. Then he focused on his puzzle and watched the kids. Tim and Charlie got into a splashing game, though Tim splashed too hard and got firm words from Mitch because Charlie did not know how to swim. Though she did have a little snorkel and liked to poke her head under and blow bubbles through it. Tim wanted to impress his father by swimming around a bit. Charlie hated that she had been outdone so she was pouty. Mitch immediately fixed that by showing her how to walk on her hands in shallow water. Wow, he really was good with children. Leo watched with envy as they pulled him into the water, laughing and shouting, crawling all over him.

“Aw c’mon guys, not the hair!” he exclaimed laughing. “My hair!”

“Wanna come in daddy?” Charlie asked.

She was hanging onto the edge, kicking her feet in the water.

“No thank you sweetheart.”

“But its nice and cold.”

“I know. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Leo’s children had never seen his bypass scars and he was not sure if they were ready for something like that. It was rare that anyone other than his physician and his wife saw his chest. It was an ugly wound and he didn’t know how he felt about the nanny, the Secret Service, and the NASA satellite he was sure hovered over his house seeing it. Leo took a deep breath.

“OK guys, its almost lunch time.”

Leo looked at his watch when Mitch made the announcement. Had that much time really gone by. Mitch helped the kids out of the pool and they washed down with a hose.

“Straight upstairs. Dry off, clothes are already on your beds.”

“Can I wear my ducky shirt?” Charlie asked.

“Its laid out for you. Go on, then we’ll make lunch.”

They jetted off. Mitch walked over to Leo’s chair.

“The kids and I are going to have macaroni and tuna. Are you hungry?”

“No.” Leo shook his head. “Thank you though.”

“Sure.”

Soon he was out there alone. He finished off his puzzle and thought about how he would be able to entertain Tim and Charlie this weekend. He wanted to spend some time alone with them…what did Mitch do on weekends. It was not that he didn’t like the nanny. One would be hard-pressed for reasons not to like him. The kids adored him; thought he walked on water. All the times Leo could not be there, and there were so many times, Mitch was there. He was there for hugs, boo boos, story time, discipline, movie night, everything since they were both in diapers. OK, that was plenty of reason not to like him. Of course, there were few children as well sorted as Timothy and Charlotte. He had CJ and Mitch to thank for that.

Leo gathered up his puzzle and coffee cup before going into the house. In the den, he turned on the news channels while relaxing on the couch. Soon the kids were running through the room.

“Hey guys.”

“Daddy, you gonna eat lunch with us?” Charlie asked.

“No, you guys go ahead. But first, give daddy a big hug.”

Tim and Charlie rushed into their father’s open arms. Leo kissed both of their faces and sent them into the kitchen. While he watched the news he could hear them laughing with their nanny as he talked them through making tuna fish. Leo picked up his ringing cell phone.

“What's happening Charlie?”

“Just checking in. Everything is fine here. I've scheduled meetings on Tuesday afternoon for the escalating problems in Eastern Europe. We are definitely going to have to make a trip there. You're in with the President Tuesday morning. The rest is the rest. Are you enjoying your time off?”

“Ask me when I get back to work.” he replied.

“What's the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Charlie, I just…”

“You're worried that you aren’t going to be able to entertain Tim and Charlie. You're concerned with Mitch around you are not going to be their hero.”

“Did I ever tell you that I hate when you do that?”

“On more than one occasion.”

“I will talk to you later.”

“Thank you Mr. Vice-President.”

“Bye.”

Leo hung up and went back to the news. Mitch came into the room a little while later.

“Excuse me Leo.”

“Yeah.”

“I was hoping the kids could nap in here. Is that alright?”

“Oh sure.”

“C’mon in the kitchen, I’ll make you a sandwich.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Seriously, you need to have lunch. C’mon.” 

Leo nodded and went into the kitchen. In the den Mitch laid two blankets down on the floor and then a bunch of pillows. Tim and Charlie could not help but jump into the mounds.

“No goofing off guys. You're going to miss those naps when you're older.” He turned back to Leo. “A turkey on rye OK?”

“Sure. I could make it myself.”

“I don’t mind. What are your plans for the weekend?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I know you wanted to make sure you spent plenty of time with the kids while CJ was gone. I just don’t want to step on your toes.”

“No, we’re fine.”

“All due respect sir, I don’t think we are.”

Mitch put the sandwich and a bottle of cranapple juice in front of the Vice-President. Then he sat at the table. Leo commented that the sandwich was pretty good.

“I have been your nanny since Tim was nine weeks old. You're still not comfortable around me.”

“You have to understand how difficult it is for me to see a man doing what you do. I'm not being a sexist…its just hard. My kids love you and that’s not easy either. Sometimes I cannot be here because of my job and I know Tim and Charlie may look up to you as a positive male figure in their life. That is not easy for me. I am not a homophobe.”

“You are a little bit.” Mitch said nodding.

“I am not! I may not understand it but I am not. I may seem like a stodgy old man now but I used to be a young guy Mitch. I used to a free-loving socialist.”

“Wow. Look Leo, I never plan to step on your toes as a father. That is why I thought I would make myself scarce this weekend so you can have all the time you needed to be a dad.”

“I don’t want that. I don’t want the kids to think it has to be one or the other with us. Maybe we can do it together.”

“You think?” Mitch asked.

“I'm certainly willing to try it. Tell me what they usually do after naptime. How long are they asleep?”

The McGarry kids napped for ninety minutes to two hours, depending on what Mitch had going around the house. That was followed by 90 minutes of lessons. Letters, numbers, foreign languages, reading, and usually Sesame Street. Then it was an hour or so of free play before dinner. After dinner, it was a cartoon, bath and bed.

“CJ usually does the bedtime story. They both lay in Tim’s bed and then either CJ or I take Charlie to her room. That’s their day. Honestly I work less on the weekends because you guys, at least mom, is always around.”

“You're studying early childhood development, aren’t you?”

“Yes sir.”

“My kids are alright, right? I mean I know that I'm not around but I don’t want them to end up like the Kennedy cousins.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” Mitch replied with a smile. “I promise.”

“That makes me feel a lot better.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Leo nodded. “I mean that.”

***

The four of them had dinner together, which excited Tim and Charlie. They practically talked over each other in an effort to tell their father everything they could think of while they had his attention. Charlie wanted to talk about how far away the stars were and Tim wanted to know everything his father knew about pterodactyls. He decided they were his new favorite dinosaur. That gave Leo the idea to take them to the Dinosaur Museum very soon. 

He would have to sit down with Ron Butterfield and plan the trip better than the G8 Summit. It was hard on the Secret Service, the President and the Vice-President having small children. The Santos and McGarrys lived in a bubble. Tim and Charlie really knew no other way to live…they were born into the White House. That didn’t stop their father from feeling some guilt that they were missing out on a normal life.

After dinner, while Mitch did some cleaning, Leo and the kids watched TV. They wanted to watch Spongebob Squarepants, which he had never seen before. It was a strange experience and Leo didn’t really know what was going on. Tim and Charlie loved it though, and watched two episodes before bath time. God, how much was he really missing? There was laughter, splashing, and the Vice-President couldn’t remember when he had such a good time.

“What story are you going to read us daddy?” Tim asked.

He and Charlie were snuggled in his bed, waiting for the cherry on top of their wonderful day.

“What is your favorite?” Leo asked.

Charlie was fond of The Poky Little Puppy; Tim like The Cat in the Hat. Well that wasn’t going to help.

“I think this one will be good.” Leo opened Goodnight Moon. “I used to read this to you guys when you were in diapers.”

“Really?” Charlie asked.

“Really, really. You especially loved it.” he poked his little girl’s stomach and was rewarded with a giggle that made him miss her mother.

He ended up reading the bedtime story twice and then carried Charlie over to her bedroom after kissing Tim goodnight. She was half-asleep but weighed no more than a bag of groceries. She was short like her father but thin like her mother. He laid her on the bed, brushing the white blonde hair from her forehead so he could kiss her. Charlie turned over to cuddle with her Cabbage Patch doll. Leo kissed her once more.

“Goodnight pumpkin. I love you, sweet dreams.”

In the bedroom, it was pajamas and CNN. He found a Snickers bar in CJ’s nightstand drawer so he ate it. A mental note was made to replace it before she returned from her trip. He would be in deep shit if he didn’t. Then he called his wife.

“Hey honey.”

“Hi baby. You were supposed to call me when you got to California safely.”

“I know, I'm sorry. Fog delayed us so when we landed it was straight to the grind. It has been that way ever since.”

“You're not in the middle of something are you?”

“Dinner and a foot massage.”

“What?”

“Jack says hello Leo.”

“Hello Jack. Is that sexual harassment?”

“No, its heaven. Take note Leopold. How are my babies?”

“Fine. I gave them their bath and read Goodnight Moon.”

“They must have been elated.”

“It was good to spend time with them. How much did I miss Claudia Jean?”

“You missed some things but there is much more to see. I want you to have fun with them, and fall into bed exhausted.”

“Rain is in the forecast tomorrow. I thought we would stay in and watch a movie.”

“They love Toy Story, The Aristocats, and Robin Hood. You cannot go wrong with one of those three. I love you madly Leo.”

“Is Jack still in the room?” he asked.

“You're acting as if that is something Jack is unaware of.”

“Yeah. I love you too, and I miss you. I wish you were here right now. The end of the day just isn’t the same when my arms are not around you.”

“Sweet talking man. Well, I better go. I need a shower and some rest. Saturday and Sunday are going to be busy. Tell Tim and Charlie that mommy will talk to them tomorrow. Oh, are you and Mitch OK?”

“We’re fine. He is really good with the kids.”

“Duh.” She laughed. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you Claudia Jean McGarry.”

“I love you more.”

“I ate your Snickers bar and found your vibrator.”

“I'm going to kill you when I get home; I truly mean that. Replace my Snickers bar.”

“Yes ma'am. Gonna show me how you use that thing, the vibrator?”

“I’ll think about it. Love you Leo.”

“Love you too. Goodnight baby.”

Leo flipped the cell phone closed, putting it next to the cordless on the nightstand. He stretched out on the large bed and dozed off to a crime and investigation show on Court TV. It had been a while since he had time off and as peaceful dreams took over his thoughts, Leo really liked the feel of it.

***


End file.
